Introduction
The Why?
It started with a gap. I was asked to teach a Business of Theatre course in 2019. It was a broad overview course to prepare our theatre students to go out into the great beyond (beyond a liberal arts university that is) and pursue their careers. I searched for a textbook. I read many arts management books. I read marketing for the arts books. I read audition books. I primarily found American books on the business of theatre. This resulted in a list of recommended books depending on what area of theatre each student was studying; a cumbersome and ineffective solution. I had more success bringing in amazing guest speakers who could share their lived experience. These experts were the course highlights for the students. In addition, the best resources that I found for the context of our geographic region were articles, interviews, my own experience running an independent theatre company while working as a freelance artist, and stories from those out there working in Canadian theatre.
In 2022, after teaching the course three times, I foolishly decided that the only option was to create a textbook. I say create rather than write as it was clear I would need to draw on the voices of an array of practitioners to really fill the gap. From the start the goal was to lean on the insights of a range of professionals. My job then was to compile, contextualize, seek approval, and share resources.
A brief disclaimer – this is not a book to guide you to be a better actor, designer, manager…per say. It is about the professional side of those roles, how to get work, knowing what is expected, and how to manage your career.
Gratitude
I’ve always told my students that theatre is a community and there are many people willing to provide information and support. This has been proven true in the work on this text. My colleagues at my home Department (University of Winnipeg), and colleagues who teach similar content at other institutions, have been extremely supportive and invested in this ambitious initiative. Of particular note were Chantal Forde (Sheridan College) and Thea Fitz-James (Queen’s University) who willingly shared their resources. I’m extremely grateful that the project was funded through a research grant from the University of Winnipeg. Most importantly, the willingness of those I reached out to for either interviews or articles has once again proven that the theatre community truly wants to support each other and future practitioners. Thank you as well to recent graduates and practicing artists for their input, in particular Elena Anciro, Ksenia Broda-Milian, Sarah Lamoureux, Zanifa Rasool, and Emma Welham for their editing work. Finally, my research assistant Carolin Schroeder has been an asset both for her work, but also her perspective as a student. She has been a collaborator throughout this process (when I use ‘we’ to describe the process she is the other half of that ‘we’).
The Process
Once the funding was in place and the project had begun, it became clear that there was a need to first of all consult with the very grads we hope to serve. A survey of students who graduated from theatre programs in the last decade was created and disseminated. The responses from over a hundred graduates across the country were not necessarily surprising but definitely emphasized the need for greater support of graduates. It truly helped guide the content.
From there a long list of potential interviewees and contributors was drafted. Due to time and scale limitations we then narrowed the list. The goal was to represent all geographical regions, practitioners in all areas and at various stages in their careers, a range of backgrounds, those at small independent to large mainstream companies, and various cultural perspectives. Busy schedules meant a few of our asks were not able to contribute within the time frame (more will hopefully be added in the future). We followed ethics procedures focused on consent in approaching interviewees, drafting agreements, and constructing the questions. This allowed for transparency in how content would be used.
From November 2022 to January 2023 interviews were conducted virtually and recorded for transcription. The resulting transcript was then sent to each interviewee for review and correction. Articles were also written to fill in gaps with invitations to specific experts requesting that they write their advice directly to theatre graduates.
Finally, interview excerpts were compiled alongside constructed writing that you will now find in the book. Alongside this work was the ongoing efforts to gather resources to include as an addendum.
The Medium
This is an open-source text that is free and accessible on-line. It will be updated as information changes, therefore preventing the challenge of material quickly becoming outdated in a print textbook. It is impossible to have been exhaustive in this first go of compiling content, so there is much more that should be added for an even greater range of perspectives and ideas. It will be an ongoing process to continue to grow the resources included. Feel free to reach out (h.mcintyre@uwinnipeg.ca) if you know of something useful to add or someone who should be included in the future.
Although it has an academic use, this book is meant to be a very practical guide for anyone to read (students and emerging practitioners alike). The language reflects that. Interviews were transcribed and as a result exhibit a casual and oral form of expression. We wanted to capture people sharing in their own words and have attempted to keep the written portions as accessible as possible in regards to language.
In terms of the structure, we opted to create various tracks to take the reader through the content. The first section of twenty chapters is made up of content that provides a foundation for all those entering the theatre milieu. It is an overview of various important topics in order to provide a common grounding. Then like a choose your own adventure, in the second section each reader can focus on the track that applies to their area of specialization. Although, we of course encourage you to read it all. The more you know about what others do in this profession, the easier it will be to work together in a supportive fashion. As well, an interdisciplinary approach moving seamlessly from working in one area to another is absolutely a valid career choice.
Our goal was not to reproduce existing resources, so often there are links pointing to where one can dig into their area of interest in further detail. We also know that not everyone is siloed into one area of theatre practice, so readers can choose to crisscross or pick and choose sections. At the end of each track are a list of area specific resources mentioned in the original survey responses, by contributors, and interviewees.
Finally, the book wraps up with several appendices including a full list of all the mentioned resources, the survey results, and biographical information about all those included in the text. The original idea was just to include excerpts of interviews, but they were so incredible that we requested permission of interviewees to include the full transcripts as an added component.
Second Thoughts
One crucial area of struggle in creating and compiling this text was how to balance sharing information on the existing theatre industry and its current/historical structure versus highlighting how the industry could/should be changing to better reflect a more ethical practice. Change is slow and past students have expressed a need to know how to get work upon graduation, therefore requesting knowledge of the current system. In sections on the Changing Theatre Industry, the Future of Theatre, Equity Practices, and Ethics we’ve attempted to address the great work being done to improve the current models, as well as considerations for students so that they can continue to be change-makers in the future. This book is not meant to outline how things must be done, but rather to provide tools with the hope that the next generation can use the power of theatre in ways that we’ve only dreamt of in the past.